The Scariest Thing
by Aeriths-Rain
Summary: Imprisoned on Halloween, Reno assks Rude what the scariest things that have happened to him are.  Turns out, some things are scarier than eating people. Rude x Reno


**AN:** I haven't written in so long! I'm really sorry, university has been absolutely chaotic. I'm getting on top of stuff now, so I should be updating soon. This is a Halloween fic for Club-Runo on Deviant Art. It didn't come out quite as intended, but I still like it.  
**Prompt:** Cannibalism  
**Warnings: **One mention of cannibalism, bad language  
**Summary:** Some things are scarier than eating people.  
**Pairing:** Rude x Reno

* * *

Rude leant back against the wall, coughing up fluid and blood. He wiped it away, trying to stay looking smart. It was almost certain that they would get better, but he still worried. He didn't know what would happen if only one of them made it out. They needed each other. He glanced over at Reno, lips twisting into a smile as the other breathed out onto the glass and wrote swear words to the guards outside. He actually laughed out loud when Reno asked for a Jack-O-Lantern to brighten up their cell and make it more suitable for the day.

Reno made every situation better. Sure, it was Halloween, their mission had gone wrong and been captured by the enemy gang, only to come down with this new illness which had killed a fifth of those who got it. And yes, the two of them were now in the rebel's hospital coughing up blood. But this was relatively standard for a mission and somehow, Reno made it alright. The fact the other had already managed to steal the equipment he wanted helped, as did the fact Rude had managed to send out a signal, informing the rest of their location and illness. More than that though, the simple fact that Reno was there did help. Seeing the confidence with which Reno bounced down the hall, ignoring his black eye from one of the rebel's punches, made Rude smile.

However, Reno's constant talking was getting extremely irritating. Rude was normally silent, and outside, Reno's noise was manageable. But in this contained and air tight cell, Reno's constant speaking was oppressing him, drowning him under an endless wave of words. He wasn't paying any attention. Reno frowned slightly, and he tuned in, hoping he hadn't missed anything important from the other. You never knew with Reno when he'd bring up something that mattered.

Reno grinned when the other's attention was returned to him.  
"Rude, I was asking if yer had any good Halloween stories."  
Rude shook his head. He had some quite good ones, but he didn't want to talk about them now. He was quite happy sitting here and focussing on getting them both out alive. He should have known Reno wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Ah, tha's okay Rude, we've watched most of my horror movies together anyway..." Reno babbled on, and Rude smirked slightly, remembering how Reno had ended up hiding behind a bowl of popcorn during the scary bits, and asking if they could share the bed because he'd scared himself silly. He tried to focus again on Reno's speech.  
"Wha' about scary stuff's that's happened to ya?"  
Rude arched an eyebrow.

Reno grinned and wrapped his arms around the other man.  
"Jus' tell me the three scariest things ya done..."  
Rude opened his mouth to ask for some time to think, but Reno had already worked out what was wrong. He couldn't instantly expect conversation from his normally silent companion.  
"Yer think fer a bit. Wave me over when yer done." He wandered through the room, quiet, testing various items, trying to see how to escape. Rude blocked out the other's actions, waving him over when he had worked out what to do, knowing Reno would get bored of waiting. He looked almost nervous, though Reno expected that was just because he was ill.

Rude wasn't looking forwards to having to talk so much, but he hoped that it would at least keep Reno quiet afterwards.  
"The third scariest thing I've ever done was break into a house the other children said was haunted, when I was seven. I'd gone in at night, it was raining, and I thought my heart would explode. I slipped in through an open window, making my way inside. It was deserted, but had been used by squatters. I heard a noise and ran before I saw what it was." Yes, it was weak of him, but he'd only been young, and he wanted to be honest to Reno. He'd gone back a few weeks later, in daylight, and had set about repairing the house for the elderly lady who had bought it. But that was a story for another time.

Reno grinned at him.  
"You ran away huh?" He smirked. "Yer said a lot. My go. Okay, the third scariest thin' I ever did was ..." He paused for a dramatic effect. "Ate human flesh."  
Rude spluttered slightly staring at him in incredulous disbelief. Reno's smirk widened more, giving him a Cheshire-cat grin as he recalled that moment when he was six.  
"It was a dare. One of the other kids had foun' a dead body. They bet me 2 gil I wouldn' be able to eat some. So I did. Raw." He laughed nervously. "Course, after I'd done tha' I started panicking tha' I was gonna get haun'ed. Couldn't sleep right for weeks. It tasted okay actually..." He paused, glancing at Rude and grabbing his hand, biting gently at the wrist. "Yer yummy."

Rude laughed, pushing him away.  
"I am not food Reno. Tseng won't want his Turks eaten." He ruffled the other's flame-red hair. "Second scariest thing for me is probably finding out I'm trapped here with a cannibal."  
Reno laughed loudly, body shaking with amusement. Rude smiled softly. He had been planning to say that it was meeting Reno. It had been something that had worried him a lot. When he'd first seen the young, nervous and aggressive trainee that had been brought in to ShinRa having broken in and being caught halfway up a ventilation shaft, he'd felt uncertain. He'd thought the other would betray them for money, that he'd already shown himself to be untrustworthy. But he had quickly changed his mind. Seeing Reno laugh, still in high spirits even now, he was glad it had happened. Reno was a great Turk, and a wonderful partner. He had to say something to him, but that was for his next go.

Reno launched himself on Rude, tilting his head and gnawing on his arm whilst making nom nom nom noises. He giggled slightly. Rude flicked him away.  
"It's your go."  
Reno nodded.  
"Yeh... I guess for me it was joining the Turks. I didn't know anythin' abou' them, and I was a criminal from the slums. I knew Tseng though' I had promise, Veld too while the old guy was still there, but no' the rest. Even the other trainees would push me aroun' and say stuff." He fidgeted, twiddling the end of his ponytail around his fingers. He smiled as Rude wrapped an arm around his shoulders, nuzzling up to him. "It were worth it though."

Rude nodded, a small indulgent smile upon his lips.  
"It's yer last go. Make it somethin' terrifying." Reno called, a smirk on his face.

"Don't worry. It scares me just thinking about it." Rude answered. He pulled Reno closer onto his lap. "The scariest thing I have ever done..." He leant forwards, taking Reno's ear between his teeth and nipping slightly before whispering. "Is ask you to be my boyfriend."

Reno froze in his arms, eyes wide. They had messed around before, several times, and had had fun, but this was something big. It was something real, permanent. Reno looked at him, remembering everything he had lost, all the times he had messed up. He was worried he'd fuck this up to. Rude was the best friend he'd ever had. He really did like the other, but he was scared that wouldn't be good enough. He looked up at Rude, focussing on looking at his eyes through the glasses. Reno nodded.

Rude smiled.  
"Your last go."  
Reno nodded, arms around the other's shoulders.  
"The scariest thing I ever done were saying yes then." He took off Rude's glasses, so that he could look into his eyes. He'd been going to say about when he was kidnapped by some of the slums slavers, when he'd only just escaped with his life, but compared to accepting Rude's offer, that really didn't seem so bad.

Rude squeezed him gently, leaning in to kiss him. Reno returned the kiss passionately, pulling away when he was short of breath.  
"I was right, yer do taste good."


End file.
